OUR VIEW: Ambitious building plan

Published: Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 6:42 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 6:43 p.m.

What had been a wish list could become an ambitious reality for the Etowah County Board of Education.

The board has $13.1 million available for capital projects from the issuance of new bonds and the refunding of some nine-year-old bonds. Four projects were discussed as the board contemplated entering the bond market — replacing buildings at Duck Springs Elementary and Glencoe Elementary schools that pre-date World War II, constructing a 16-classroom middle school for grades 6 through 8 in the Sardis district whose population has surged (it’s now the county’s second-largest district) and building a gym at Hokes Bluff Middle School.

The preliminary talk barely qualifies as “plans,” nothing is definite, but Superintendent Alan Cosby at a work session this week said the board will consider tackling all four projects at once.

Cosby said he thinks there’s enough bond money to cover them all, provided the board sets strict financial parameters and sticks to them. That means watching every penny and keeping the projects on budget.

The latter could be a challenge, especially in undertakings of this scale. Those who build things in their backyards or at million-dollar construction sites generally have experience with Murphy’s Law and the way it can drive up costs.

Still, these projects are needed, so we think it’s worth the gamble to think big and take care of them all — if this even is a gamble.

We’ve praised the board’s focused, methodical path to obtaining this money, which saw it hit the bond market with almost perfect timing. Cosby signaled a similar mindset for finalizing this new capital plan, saying the board won’t rush the process because it’s crucial to get things right.

We agree. Those who will benefit from these projects might get impatient, but spending a little extra time on polishing the plan might put the board in a better position to deal with unexpected roadblocks. Much of this work is overdue, but haste creates waste, and that’s something the board can’t afford.

<p>What had been a wish list could become an ambitious reality for the Etowah County Board of Education.</p><p>The board has $13.1 million available for capital projects from the issuance of new bonds and the refunding of some nine-year-old bonds. Four projects were discussed as the board contemplated entering the bond market — replacing buildings at Duck Springs Elementary and Glencoe Elementary schools that pre-date World War II, constructing a 16-classroom middle school for grades 6 through 8 in the Sardis district whose population has surged (it's now the county's second-largest district) and building a gym at Hokes Bluff Middle School.</p><p>The preliminary talk barely qualifies as “plans,” nothing is definite, but Superintendent Alan Cosby at a work session this week said the board will consider tackling all four projects at once.</p><p>Cosby said he thinks there's enough bond money to cover them all, provided the board sets strict financial parameters and sticks to them. That means watching every penny and keeping the projects on budget.</p><p>The latter could be a challenge, especially in undertakings of this scale. Those who build things in their backyards or at million-dollar construction sites generally have experience with Murphy's Law and the way it can drive up costs. </p><p>Still, these projects are needed, so we think it's worth the gamble to think big and take care of them all — if this even is a gamble.</p><p>We've praised the board's focused, methodical path to obtaining this money, which saw it hit the bond market with almost perfect timing. Cosby signaled a similar mindset for finalizing this new capital plan, saying the board won't rush the process because it's crucial to get things right.</p><p>We agree. Those who will benefit from these projects might get impatient, but spending a little extra time on polishing the plan might put the board in a better position to deal with unexpected roadblocks. Much of this work is overdue, but haste creates waste, and that's something the board can't afford.</p>